Two men who claimed they were trying to repossess a vehicle in Twentynine Palms were arrested Wednesday, accused of attempted carjacking. The owner of a nail salon in the 71700 block of 29 Palms Highway told deputies that about 2:30 p.m., Martin Gonzalez, 33, of Santa Ana, and Javier Contreras, 27, of Garden Grove, came in to his shop, pointed at his black BMW, and said they wanted the car. After arguing with the men, the owner called deputies. Gonzalez and Contreras went and sat in their truck, which was blocking several vehicles in the parking lot, but did not attempt to call law enforcement to report the incident. When deputies arrived, Gonzalez told deputies that he was there to repossess the vehicle, but instead of showing the deputies repossession papers, he showed them a credit report and photo of the registered owner. Contreras denied knowing anything about attempting to steal a vehicle. Martin Gonzalez and Javier Contreras were arrested for investigation of attempted carjacking, and Contreras was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy. They were booked at the Morongo Basin Jail with their bail set at $125,000 each.
